Does my breastfed baby need extra vitamins?

Breast milk contains many vitamins as well as easily-absorbed iron. The iron from breast milk will be sufficient until your baby begins eating iron-rich cereals around 6 months of age.

All babies need vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D is added to formula and babies who are breastfed need to get their vitamin D as a daily supplement. The nutrient can be produced by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight, but it is not safe for infants under 6 months to be in direct sunlight. After 6 months, infants should use sunscreen when in the sun, which blocks the body’s ability to make vitamin D. So, babies who are primarily breastfed should be given daily vitamins.

Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that infants — whether breastfed or formula-fed — do not need fluoride supplements during the first 6 months. From 6 months on, babies require fluoride supplements only if the water supply is severely lacking in fluoride. Well water and bottled water, for example, may not contain fluoride and the tap water in some communities does not have fluoride.

It can be dangerous to give a fluoride supplement to a child already getting enough fluoride, so it's important to find out the fluoride content in whatever water source your child is using. Again, ask your doctor about your baby's needs.